Tombstone

We have been meeting with our staff individually over the past week, and these meetings have been absolutely fantastic.  It's always informational the stuff you find out on a more intimate setting and how much you are able to get accomplished.  (No one else to interrupt or bring up random items.)  Today we met with one of our guys for about 3 hours and were able to really dig into some of his current struggles including time management and allowing time for his family.  God has been speaking to him about his time with his family and making sure he is loving on his wife and children as much as he is loving on those on the fields (something I think most of us can associate with when our work starts to take over our lives and we don't allow time for our family and more importantly God). 

Something J did with him and actually asked me a long time ago was if I were to die right now, what would I want written on my tombstone?  Obviously people put a variety of things on tombstones: "loving mother", "best friend", "giving", "precious angel"... whatever fits their life.  But if you were allowed only 3 things written on your tombstone, what would they be and in what order?  I found that when I took the time to answer this, it helped prioritize my life.  It helped me understand when God was calling me away from nursing at a hospital to working at the church and then ultimately becoming a missionary here in the Dominican, that I was not letting anyone down or shaming myself.  Because my number one thing revolved/revolves around God and no where on my tombstone did I have written "(insert adjective) nurse".  So when He called me away from something I loved and had taken time to pursue, it became a journey of trusting Him and allowing Him to work in my life. 

Thanks again to Financial Peace as J uses the same principle idea of "budgeting to zero" for time.  If you are not accounting and budgeting all of your time, you are likely wasting a good deal of it.  So plan out your hours accounting for family time, prayer time, rest, eating, work, etc.  Because when it is all accounted for, the chances of wasting it and misusing it is much harder.

Please be lifting up our brother through his journey as he attempts to reprioritize his life and invest more time with his family. 


Much love!!